Flue-cleaner.



PATENTED OCT. 11,1904.

J MACDONALD PLUE CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED H43. 3, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATEs Patented October 11, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

FLUE-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,243, dated October 11, 1904.

Application filed March 3, 1904. Serial No. 196,455. (No model.)

To all whom, it natty concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN MACDONALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Russell, in the county of Laramie and State of Wyoming, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flue-Cleaners; and I do hereby declare the following to .be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to flue-cleaners, more particularly to boiler-flue cleaners; and the objects of the invention are to improve the construction of such devices and increase their efiiciency with simplicity of structure and cheapness of manufacture.

Other objects are to secure lightness and strength with great durability and to obviate many of the objections which have heretofore been found in devices of this class.

Other objects of the invention are to obtain a cleaner which although sufficiently firm and strong in its structure still is pliant and yielding under pressure and admits of its being flexed to suit the varying conditions'under which it may be used.

Further objects will hereinafter appear and to these ends the invention consists of afluecleaner for carrying out the above objects embodying the novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed in the specification and shown in the accompanying drawings;

While the characteristic and essential features of the invention are susceptible of modification, still the preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which 7 Figure 1 shows an elevational view of my improved flue-cleaner; Fig. 2, a sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 3, a portion of the cleaner,showing a modification of the side braces.

Referring to the drawings, a is a piece of wire or other flexible material of suitable strength and stiffness which is wound, preferably, in the form of a helix. On the periphery of the helix are placed wire braces 6, which are looped about the helical 'convolu' tions when they are crossed or otherwise attached thereto, as at 0, whereby they are held apart at certain fixed intervals. the helix (0 are bent in and about the braces b, and thereby securely fastened and held in place, as shown at (Z and e. The braces bmay be formed of separate wires,in which case one of their ends is preferably left flush with one end of the helix, or they may be formed of a single wire bent into U form, so that the base 6 of the U extends across the bottom of the helix, Fig. 3, and may there be bent into any desired form; but in either case the free ends f of the braces may extend on beyond the helix and are brought together at g to aid in forming an operating-handle. The handle end of the cleaner is further braced and strengthened by pieces of wire it and 2 which are wound, preferably, about the last helical convolution and extendoutwardly toward the handle, the wire It forming a part of the handle and the'wire being wound at f about the wire f and it to bind them securely together'and strengthen the handle thus formed. It will be noted that with this construction a flue-cleaner is formed which, although normall y straight and sufficiently rigid, is capable of being flexed in a direction transverse to the plane in which the pair of braces lie and which because of the manner of its formation can always be readily brought back into its-normal condition without injury or distortion.

Of course where a flue-cleaner of substantially circular form is used it is immaterial on what portion of the periphery the braces are placed, so long as they are oppositely disposed, as it is obvious that with a cleaner of such transverse section the axis on which the flexion occurs is immaterial; but where an irregular or some particular form is required, such as the substantially elliptical form disclosed by Fig. 2, which, owing to the shape and curvature of the tubes or flues in which it is to be used, must be capable of having a fiexion in a specific plane, the braces must be connected to the convolutions at such points on the periphery thata plane passing through them is transverse to the direction in which it is desired to flex the cleaner. Obviously The ends of the plane of the braces may include any diametral line of the cross-sectional surface, and therefore the direction of the flexure is only limited by the location of the braces, it being understood, of course, that after the braces are once connected to the convolutions of the helix the only flexure that can be obtained is in a direction substantially at rightangles to the plane on which they lie, as stated above.

The preferred form of cross-section is shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings; but it should be understood that the cleaner is to be made to lit the opening of any flue which it is desired to clean, which, of course, may be readily done.

Obviously the invention may be used in widely-varying forms and some features may be omitted or dispensed with.

Therefore, without limiting the invention to the construction shown and described, nor enumerating equivalents, I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the following:

1. A flue-cleaner comprising a helicallywound member and two oppositely-disposed flexible braces connected to each of the convolutions of said helix, substantially as described.

2. A flue-cleaner comprising a helical spring and two oppositely-disposed wire braces each looped about each of the convolutions of said spring, substantially as described.

, 3. Aflue-cleaner comprisingahelical spring and two oppositely-disposed flexible braces engaging each of the convolutions thereof, said braces extending beyond one end of said cleaner and joined to form a handle, substantially as described.

4. Aflue-cleaner comprisingahelical spring, a plurality of flexible braces engaging each of the convolutions of said spring extending longitudinally thereof and beyond its end to form a handle, and a brace for said handle extending from one end of said spring, substantially as described.

5. Aflue-cleaner comprising a substantially elliptical helical spring and two oppositelydisposed wire braces secured to each of the convolutions of said spring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN MACDONALD.

WVitnesses:

J OSEPH OAHILL, G. O. LATHAN. 

